The Icon: Window on the Kingdom
Editorial Reviews
Alan D. Falconer, The Furrow
"...an excellent instruction to the understanding and role of the icon in the Orthodox Church... This volume is the distallation of wide reading and lengthy encounters with icons and it is hoped it will find a wide readership."
Book Description
Includes 33 color photos, 34 illustrations, and an index.
In recent years there has been a sort of "rediscovery" of icons by Western Christians. There is an increasing awareness that the icon is not merely a work of art, but is also an aspect of diving revelation and of our communing with God in the Church. Thus the icon cannot be separated from Orthodox belief, prayer or liturgical life. To fully understand the icon, one must comprehend its organic unity: artistic, spiritual, theological. Quenot's analysis of various icons and their theological elements enables the readers to appreciate the various aspects of the icon more fully.
There are currently many books written about icons, discussing either their historical context, describing their spiritual attraction, or simply showing their aesthetic beauty. The Icon is, however, an exceptional book in many ways. Michel Quenot has sketched a brief yet highly descriptive history of iconography together with a discussion of the canons and laws which govern this ancient art form. Such "ground rules" guarantee a spiritual continuity and doctrinal unity that are valid beyond all national and cultural boundaries.
Translated from the French and already published in eight languages, The Icon: Window on the Kingdom includes 33 color photos and 34 black and white illustrations. Among its many illustrations are included examples of works by modern iconographers, which show the icon to be a living and vital art form, bit outmoded or stagnant. The book also covers historical sources, theological and biblical foundations, iconographic themes, and the icon's role in the life of believers. It includes discussion of current discoveries and recent scholarship from catacomb art through Egyptian, Byzantine, Balkan, Russian and contemporary iconography.
Michel Quenot, an Orthodox layman who teaches modern languages in Switzerland, is intensely involved in the study of the art and theology of the icon.
The Icon: Window on the Kingdom
The Icon: Window on the Kingdom,Michel Quenot,St. Vladimir's Seminary Press,0881410985,Art & Art Instruction,Christianity - General,Christianity and art,Cult,Doctrines,General,Icon painting,Iconography (Fine Arts),Icons,Orthodox Eastern Church,Religion
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